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Monday, July 2, 2012

No Reservations: Flagstaffing

After checking out of New Mexico we laid tracks to northern Arizona to spend some time with an old college roommate of Geof's and to get to know Flagstaff a little. Neither of us had ever been to Flagstaff so we were both really excited to check it out and do some running in the nearby mountains.

After our petrifying experience, we were on our way to Flagstaff. Brandon and PP were most gracious of hosts and put us up for a couple of nights. They are busy periodontists and had a full schedule, so we adventured about the next day and caught up with them over dinner. PP is a killer cook and fixed us some home cooked Thai food that was to die for, and the perfect post-mountain run fuel.

Brandon suggested some trails to try out, and after some coffee and hanging out with their kids, Braden and McLane, we packed 'er up and drove up to the Snow Bowl to begin our ascent of the highest peak in Arizona: Humphreys Peak, in the San Francisco Peaks.

Turns out I was operating on a bit of a caloric deficit so it was rough going for me most of the climb. Good character building :) The trail was relatively easy to follow on the way up and quite technical most of the way. There were a few points where we weren't sure which way to go due to a lot of brush and fallen trees. But, we managed. It was pretty warm and I was having trouble finding my groove (probably because I was starving and didn't realize it). We were climbing about 3,300 feet in less than 5 miles, starting around 9,000ish feet up. I wanted to run but just couldn't crank it out. So, I plodded along and Geof waited for me at points :)

Plodding along...

After a short while (that felt like FOREVER) we reached the top, and were greeted by a GAZILLION flies. It was a really, insanely cool view up there at 12,633 feet; we could see the Grand Canyon from up there! A nice gal offered to take our picture...

And, Geof signed the summit register for us...

After a few minutes and munching on some trail grub (a stale Clif Mojo bar, yum), we headed down.

Things got kinda fuzzy here as it became increasingly difficult to follow the trail. Not once but TWICE we managed to go completely off trail and found ourselves sliding down the side of the mountain on a thick layer of scree... I decided it seemed odd as I didn't recall having to scramble up that stuff on the way up. I glanced around, gripped by a sudden bout of acrophobia, and noticed a trail sign maybe 200 yards up. I let Geof know and we began scrambling back up. I was nearly frozen I was so terrified (I let myself look down; bad idea). It wouldn't have been a terribly awful tumble, but the thought of falling down a mountainside was somewhat fear-inducing. I grabbed everything in reach, slowly pulling upwards. One step up caused you to slide three steps back down. By the time we reached the actual trail I was pretty exhausted from being so scared and my shoes were filled with trail debris.

Not 10 or 15 minutes later a fairly identical scene played out. I was a happy camper.

But, we survived :) And the descent managed to take the same amount of time as the ascent. That was a tough climb, but well worth it. Summiting was very rewarding...and so was getting back to the truck.

We spent the afternoon walking around downtown Flagstaff, checking out local shops and hunting for the best local beer on tap. A guy at Peace Surplus said Beaver Street Brewery was hands down the best. Off we went! The beer was fantastic, and we arrived during their happy hour so it was also a great deal :) Four thumbs up.

I was exhausted from the day but was happy to wolf down PP's thai cooking, dance around the living room with the kids while we watched Footloose, and then pull Braden around in his sleeping bag (he was pretending it was a race car) until bedtime. It was fantastic fun :)

The next morning we bid the Bailey's farewell, packed our bags back in the truck and began the long ride home. We were finally going to have a few days at home to do some laundry, take care of some business, get our new Utah licenses, register the truck, meet with my school advisor, and take care of Lucy while R & R headed out of town.

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Quotes and Musings

"What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for." ~ George Mallory, 1922

"There is a reason in every race to finish it or to quit early; it's a matter of what you choose. I believe the choice you take out there is the choice you're going to take in every aspect of life." ~ Perry Edinger

"Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself." ~ Lululemon

"If you start to feel good during an ultra, don't worry, you'll get over it." ~Thibeault

"The core of a man's spirit comes from new experiences." ~Chris McCandless

"Circumstance has no value. It is how one relates to a situation that has value. All true meaning resides in the personal relationship to a phenomenon, what it means to you." ~Chris McCandless

Must Reads

"Life of Pi" Yann Martel

"No Shortcuts to the Top" Ed Viesturs

"Omnivore's Dilemma" Michael Pollan

"The Alchemist" Paulo Coehlo

"Crossing to Safety" Wallace Stegner

"Merle's Door" Ted Kerasote

"The Way of the Peaceful Warrior" Dan Millman

"Running Through The Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon" Neal Jamison

"Buddha" Deepak Chopra

"Into The Wild" John Krakauer

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Buckle Envy

Ever wonder what all the hundo buckles look like? Click on my buckle to find out!